01) Pics & Proverbs 2015

With Tandy Hills more or less at rest, January is a good time to review and reflect on the past year via 2015's, Prairie Proverbs. New this year, I'm also including a dozen of my favorite pics, one from each issue of Prairie Notes.

Herewith, in one sweet trip around the Sun, are Prairie Proverbs I - XII from 2015, along with their original accompanying photos, plus a favorite pic from the same issue.

DY

"It doesn't take many voices to make things right. Just strong voices."

- Martin Litton (1917 - 2014)

Legendary enviornmentalist, Martin Litton

First full moon of 2015 rising above Tandy Hills

"If prairie conservation is to succeed, we need to get the public excited about grasslands and combat the perception that prairies would look a lot prettier if they just had some trees growing in them."

- Chris Helzer, from his essay. Ruminations on Tree Planting and Prairie Conservation.

Brush Bash of 2015 cleared a ton of privet and other woody species....

....opening up new vistas across the canyon.

"The moonlight reflects from the windowWhere the snowflakes, they cover the sandCome out tonight, ev'rything will be tightWinterlude, this dude thinks you're grand"

Spring wildflowers and the last time around for Prairie Fest seeemed far, far away in late February, 2015.

Trout Lily plants appeared earlier than usual, by mid-February in 2015.

"So in a world of snow

Of things that come and go

Where what you think you know

You can't be certain of

You must believe in spring and love"

- From the song, You Must Believe in Spring, from the 1967 film, Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, lyrics by Bergman/Bergman/Demy, music by Michel Legrand. Famously recorded by jazz pianist Bill Evans in 1977. Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTlKzkdtW9I

Moonrise over a snowy Tandy Hills on March 3, 2015.

In mid-Macrh, the Sun casting a magical light on Tandy Hills.

"Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the Earth has gladly received the embraces of the Sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love."

- Sitting Bull, Lakota holy man and tribal chief (1831 - 1890)

Wise man, Mr. Sitting Bull.

A heavy fog creeped over the prairie on April 18 creating a mystical view.

"I've got a hundred and sixty acres full of sunshineGot a hundred and sixty million stars aboveGot an old paint hoss, I'm the guy who's bossOn the hundred and sixty acres that I love!"

I believe in God only I spell it Nature.""Creo en Dios, solo que lo llamo Naturaleza."

Frank Lloyd Wright

"Instead of waiting for some miraculous, high-tech solution to bail us out of our climate-change disaster, the real miracle turns out to be simply working with nature instead of against it. Our grasslands, and the soil beneath them, might just save the world."

Late October on the prairie is full of magic as this Wand Milkweed testifies.

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."

Who doesn't love Nodding Ladies Tresses Orchids?

02) ReMembership

Do you support the outdoor education, conservation and restoration programs being done by Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area for the past 10 years? How about our events such as Prairie Fest, BioBlitz, Brush Bash, Wild food Walks, Trout Lily Walks, Kids on the Prairie, Wildflower Walks and the upcoming Manly Men & Wild Women hike? Or possibly the timely news and useful information you get from Prairie Notes and Facebook posts? Of course you do!

How about showing your appreciation with a 2016 Membership? Become a FRIEND today and get some goodies, too, such as this very cool organic cotton bandana designed by Jen schultes from Debora Young illustrations. Become a friend HERE: http://www.tandyhills.org/donate

Get this bandana for a $25. donation.

03) BioBlitz 2016 Shaping Up

Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area are pleased to present our new logo and a press release for the 2016 BioBlitz. Our goal with the logo, designed by Jen Schultes, is to communicate both the science aspects and community involvement of the event. But like many folks, you may still be wondering what the heck is a BioBlitz and what does it mean to me and my community.

06) 8th Annual Brush Bash

07) Blessed are the Seed Bombers

Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area are VERY grateful to Jillian Jordan and the Great Seed Bomb for making us one of the beneficiaries of this inaugural 2015 event. The $682.85 donation will go a long way to further our conservation, education and restoration programs. We are blessed to have such friends.

"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself."